


Taken

by ScorpioGirl1987



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-24 01:03:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/933268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScorpioGirl1987/pseuds/ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stefano finds out that someone is betraying him. What will he do when he finds out a Kiriakis is helping bring him down? Will Justin pay the price? Or will Stefano find out someone close to him is the orchestrator? Set in mid-summer 2013. Some Ejami and Wilson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

EJ was about to burst from excitement. In just two weeks, Stefano would be left with absolutely nothing. No money, no lackeys, no family. To top it off, his wedding to Samantha is to be the week following. Life could not be better!

Just then, his phone rang. He made sure no one was around before answering. "Yes."

"Hey, it's me. I have it." Justin said quietly while walking down the street.

"Good. You weren't seen, were you?" EJ asked.

"No." Justin said, looking around. "I parked down the street around the corner, too. Don't worry- I'm careful."

"I know you are." EJ nodded. "We shall meet in one hour at our usual rendezvous point."

"I'll be there." Justin replied and hung up.

EJ sighed and turned to the doorway, where Sami just walked in. "Hey."

"Hey." Sami walked over to EJ and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Who was that you were talking to?"

"Just a business associate of mine." EJ replied. Well, it wasn't a total lie.

"You've been getting a lot of those lately." Sami noted.

"I know. But, not to worry. In a few weeks, it'll all be over." EJ promised, putting his own arms around Sami's waist.

"Mmm. And what exactly is it?" Sami asked.

EJ just shrugged. "It's just business, honey. Nothing to worry about."

Sami stared at EJ for a minute and gave in. She sighed. "Okay. Well, just as long as the kids aren't dragged into it."

"They won't be." EJ said firmly. "I won't let that happen."

"Okay. I trust you." Sami nodded.

EJ kissed her on the head. "Good. I'm glad."

XXX

Nick walked up to Will and Sonny's new apartment. He has been in therapy for a few months, and he feels a little better. He took a deep breath and knocked. A few minutes later, Gabi answered.

"Hey." Gabi greeted politely.

"Hi." Nick smiled. "Can I come in?"

Gabi thought about that for a minute. "Sure." She stepped aside to let Nick in.

Nick looked around. "Nice place you got here."

"Thank you." Gabi said politely.

"So…how's Rafe?" He asked.

Gabi shrugged. "He's fine. His memory is still messed up and reset back to when he first came to Salem, so it's hard for him to get used to the fact that I'm married three months and my marriage is already on the rocks, I had a baby by my gay ex-boyfriend, Arianna is dead, and EJ and Sami are getting married."

"Oh. Well…hopefully he'll get better soon." Nick nodded.

"Why are you here, Nick?" Gabi folded her arms.

"I know I lied to you and I messed up badly." Nick said.

"Yeah. No kidding." Gabi scoffed and nodded.

"But I really do love you. And I care about you-"

"Oh, please. If you loved and cared about me, you would have been straight with me from the beginning." Gabi rolled her eyes and glared at Nick. "You could have told me you were homophobic against Will and Sonny. You could have told me you don't want Will to raise his own child. You could have told me exactly what you went through in prison. But you didn't. Instead you lied to me, to your family, you bullied and blackmailed Will….tell me: what did you expect me to do?"

"I knew that if I told you the truth, you'd leave me." Nick admitted.

"And you didn't think I'd leave you if you lied to me and blackmailed Will?" Gabi asked.

"I thought I had everything under control." Nick said. "I didn't think it'd end this way."

"Yeah, well, it did." Gabi replied.

"I really am sorry." Nick insisted. He moved closer to Gabi. "I really just want to start over."

Gabi just shook her head. "I'm sorry. But relationships are about trust. And I don't trust you." Gabi shrugged and opened the door.

Nick's shoulders slumped in defeat and he slowly walked out wordlessly. Gabi shut the door and started crying softly.

XXX

Adrienne was getting a little worried about her husband. For the last four months, he's been acting strange and working longer hours. What is going on? She sat on her couch drinking as she waited for Justin to come home. Sure enough, Justin came through the door. Adrienne stood and walked towards him.

"Hey. Where have you been?" Adrienne asked.

"I was working." Justin replied simply. He kissed Adrienne and headed for the living room.

Adrienne sighed and followed her husband. "Justin…you have been working longer hours and you've been keeping something from me for the last four months. What is going on?"

"Nothing is going on." Justin said as he poured himself a drink. "Just business."

"Justin, stop. I can tell you're lying." Adrienne folded her arms. "What the hell is going on with you?"

"Adrienne…I'm sorry. But I really can't tell you." Justin replied. "But I promise, it will all be over in just a few weeks."

Adrienne huffed again and shook her head in disbelief. "Fine. But answer me this: is it dangerous? Because if it is, I don't want Sonny to get dragged into it."

"It won't come to that." Justin assured Adrienne, putting his hands on her arms. "I won't let it."

"So, you're saying it is dangerous." Adrienne guessed. Justin's facial expression didn't change. "Oh my God, Justin!"

"I've been very careful, Ade. You're just going to have to trust me on this!" Justin pleaded.

Adrienne held her hands up. "Okay, fine! Fine. For your sake, I hope nothing bad will happen." She walked off. Justin sighed.

'Ugh…sorry, Adrienne.'

XXX

Stefano sighed as he sat down at his desk, drink in hand. Things were going smoothly at DiMera Enterprises. Too smoothly. Something usually goes wrong at this point. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Ah, yes, this is Stefano. I need the minutes from the last meeting on July sixth."

"Actually the last meeting was last Wednesday." The voice said.

Stefano was puzzled. "What meeting?"

"Uh, there was a staff meeting. You didn't know?"

"No I most certainly did not know! Who lead the meeting?" Stefano demanded.

"I'm not sure. Let me find out for you."

"Fine. Good." Stefano hung up and sighed. 'What is going on?' After some thinking, he picked up the phone again. "Yes, is the notebook still in its' case?"

"Let me check for you." After a few minutes, the person at the other end of the line came back. "I'm sorry, Mr. DiMera, but the notebook's gone."

"What! How the hell can it be gone?!" Stefano began to be angry. "Who was near that bookcase recently?"

"No one I'm aware of."

"Well, find out!" He slammed the phone back into the cradle, and sighed in frustration. Then his eyes widened in realization. 'Someone is betraying me.'

XXX

Bernardi sifled through his stack of papers for his assignment. Nobody has yet to discover he's the mole (aside from Sami Brady). So far, so good. His phone rang.

"Bernardi." He answered.

"It is me. Is this line secure?" Stefano asked.

Bernardi looked around. "Yes, this line is secure."

"I need for you to check the surveillance cameras for my office both inside and out. Over the last twenty-four hours, someone has stolen from me."

"Right away."

XXX

A few hours later, Bernardi called Stefano back. "I have some valuable information for you. The camera outside shows Justin Kiriakis leaving the building."

Stefano's eyes flashed with anger. 'Kiriakis.'


	2. Revenge Plans

Over the next several hours, Stefano worked on getting the full surveillance video of Justin entering and leaving the building with a victorious grin on his face. Satisfied, he made a phone call.

XX

Victor sighed as he opened up the day's paper. The day has been a long one, and he needed peace. His phone rang. He let out a groan in dread as he saw the caller ID. "Well, as if my day wasn't stressful enough already."

"I know what you're doing, Victor." Stefano said simply.

"You mean trying to read the paper?" Victor rolled his eyes.

"I have sent you a fax to your house. I think it would be very interesting for you to see." Stefano smirked.

Victor was puzzled by that. He was about to reply, when Henderson walked up to him. "Excuse me, sir, but this just came for you." He handed Victor a faxed photo of Justin leaving DiMera Enterprises. It was time stamped and dated.

Victor had a mini heart attack when he saw his nephew's face on the photo. "Thank you, Henderson. That'll be all." He waited until Henderson left, then turned back to his phone. "This is photoshopped."

"Really? Is that why the receptionist recognized him when he came in?" Stefano raised an eyebrow.

"She could have been lying." Victor said, setting the photo down.

"Hmm. During that time when Justin was in the building, the red notebook filled with flash drives with all the proxies to the servers and bank accounts to my company has been stolen as well." Stefano revealed. "What do you say to that, hmm?"

"Well, I'd say either your mind is deteriorating, or you're going senile." Victor laughed softly. "No way would Justin do that."

Stefano slammed his fist on his desk in anger. "Dammit, Victor! This is not a joke, my mind is not deteriorating, nor am I going senile! Your nephew stole my goddamn notebook and he is going to pay!"

"So call the police. File a report." Victor kept his voice steady.

"Oh, like the police will do anything!" Stefano threw his hands up in frustration. "Good-bye, Victor."

"Wait-" Victor started to say, but Stefano hung up. Victor sighed in frustration, threw his phone down, and rubbed his eyes. 'Dammit, Justin. What the hell did you do?' No sooner were those thoughts through his head when someone walked in. Victor looked up to see Justin in the doorway looking concerned.

"Hey, Uncle Vic. What's going on?" Justin asked.

Victor gazed long and hard at Justin's expression. He slowly stood up and walked over to the liquor cart to pour himself a drink. He cleared his throat. "You tell me. Where were you yesterday at around three or four – o'clock in the afternoon?"

"I was working." Justin lied.

"Working." Victor repeated. He took a sip. "So you weren't at DiMera Enterprises."

Justin stiffened. "Why would I be at DiMera Enterprises?"

"Beats me. I just got a disturbing phone call from Stefano." Victor said. He finished off his drink, and Justin's blood ran cold. He tried not to panic. "He said that you came into his building yesterday at 3:00 and stayed for a half hour. During that time, his proxy notebook had gone missing."

"So what? That wasn't me." Justin shrugged.

"Really?" Victor picked up the freeze frame and showed it to Justin, who paled.

Justin sighed. "How do we know it's not photoshopped?"

"Because he told me the receptionist recognized you!" Victor exclaimed angrily. He threw the glass aside, breaking it. "Now, tell me: what were you doing there?"

Justin sighed and gave in. "I was stealing the proxy notebook. I told them I was acting as EJ DiMera's lawyer under duress."

"Are you?" Victor raised an eyebrow.

"I am working with him…but not as his lawyer, and not under duress." Justin said honestly.

Victor stared at Justin blankly. "You're…willingly…working with EJ DiMera. The same EJ who kidnapped my daughter-in-law, who brainwashed and tortured your wife's brother, whose father tried to have my son killed twice, and almost got my wife killed?" Justin nodded. "Dammit, Justin. What the hell were you thinking?!"

"He came to me with an elaborate plan to bring Stefano down. A-at first, I thought it was crazy, I thought he wasn't being serious." He explained. "But…you know, as time went on, I realized he is very serious about wanting to bring Stefano down."

"Mm. I think Steve and Stephanie would have to disagree." Victor nodded and folded his arms. "Oh- and while we're at it: let's add Maggie to the list."

"That was before Stefano betrayed him. He never forgave Stefano for disowning him." Justin shrugged.

"Okay. Okay." Victor waved a hand. "Think about this, then: wouldn't EJ warn you about the outside security cameras?"

"Maybe it just slipped his mind?"

"Or maybe he's setting you up!" Victor retorted. "And why didn't he just hire one of his many henchmen to do it?"

"We didn't want Stefano to be suspicious of EJ."

"Oh, but you're expendable?" Victor asked.

Justin didn't think about that. He nodded. "Okay. You have a point there. Yes, I agree that EJ is a shady bastard, but…I don't know. He's really not that bad."

"No. He only served my greatest enemy, that's all!" Victor yelled. "Dammit, Justin! Did you even think about what would happen if Stefano found out? What if he comes after you? What if he comes after Adrienne or Sonny?"

Justin's stomach dropped. He swallowed and sighed. "I have, actually. A little. I'm hoping….I'm hoping that EJ might throw Stefano off his scent-"

"And what if he doesn't?"

"Then I'll get my wife and son out of this country." Justin said firmly. "They'll be safe."

"Well, let's hope so." Victor replied. "You try talking to EJ, since obviously, 'he's changed'. I'll see if I can get Stefano to back off."

"All right. I will." Justin sighed. "Thanks, Uncle Vic."

"You're welcome."

XXX

Meanwhile at the House of Horrors- I mean, the DiMera mansion, Stefano called his surviving three children to the living room for a meeting.

"My children…I have troubling news." Stefano said forlornly. "Someone inside my company is betraying me."

EJ stiffened. "What makes you think that?"

"Someone held a meeting without my knowledge last Wednesday," Stefano said. "and Justin Kiriakis was seen outside the building. During the time he was in there, the proxy notebook had been stolen!"

Chad was puzzled. "I can't imagine Sonny's dad doing that."

EJ wanted to slap his brother. "Are you quite sure it's Sonny's father? There are a lot of Kiriakis men."

"Well, his dad's name is Justin, and they're both Kiriakises, so…" Chad shrugged.

Stefano nodded. "I know of the entire Kiriakis line. What do you know about this Sonny?"

"Uh, well, he's my business partner and friend." Chad said hesitantly. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, well, since his father stole from me and is turning someone in my company against me…" Stefano started to say.

"Okay, wait…Father, we don't know the whole story." EJ jumped in. "For all we know, this could be a coincidence or a frame job."

"So, how would he be able to show up on the security camera, then?" Asked Kristen.

Stefano waved a finger at her. "And excellent point, my dear."

"Well, we can't retaliate based on a security footage." EJ said. "I'll talk to him."

"You'll talk to him?" Stefano raised an eyebrow.

"He and I are both lawyers. We speak the same language." EJ explained. "I'll be able to tell if he's bluffing."

"Very well. You do that." Stefano turned to Chad. "As for you. You keep an eye on this Sonny."

Chad suddenly got worried. "Wait- what are you going to do?"

"Nothing, yet." Stefano answered. "Meeting adjourned."

EJ put a firm hand on Chad's shoulder. "Come on, Chad. I'll walk you out."

After the boys left, Kristen sighed and turned to her father. "Please tell me this isn't going to turn into Kiriakis-DiMera War III."

"If there is, then as far as I'm concerned, Kiriakis started it when he stole from me." Stefano replied simply.

"Okay, but….can I give you a little advice?" Kristen asked. Stefano looked at her in surprise. "Revenge isn't fun, nor is it exhilarating. It's painful and annoying and stressful. I'm just saying…be careful."

"Thank you, my dear." Stefano replied. "But I know what I am doing."

Kristen simply nodded. "Okay. Well…I'm here to the end."

Stefano smiled and patted her arm. "Well, I guess I can count you out as the traitor, hmm?"

"Oh, totally." Kristen nodded.

XXX

EJ rushed Chad outside to their cars. He made sure no one was watching and smacked him upside the head. "Idiot!"

Chad rubbed his head. "The hell, EJ?!"

"Why the hell did you tell Father that Justin has a kid and what his name is?!" EJ demanded.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because then Father will target Sonny to get back at Justin!" EJ threw his hands up in anger. "Dammit, Chad!"

"I thought we were going to investigate this first?" Chad asked.

"We are, but…." EJ sighed and looked around. "Justin really did take the proxies."

"What? Why didn't you tell Father before?" Asked Chad.

"Because…he's working with me." EJ admitted. Chad stared at him in shock. "We're working together to bring Stefano down."

Chad sighed and shook his head. "So in other words, you are going to betray him. You still haven't forgiven him for cutting you off, have you?"

"'Course not. That's why I'm doing this." EJ said simply. "Hey, come on. I'm doing the world a favor."

"By committing suicide by betraying Stefano DiMera and bringing him down." Chad folded his arms. "You know what? Do whatever you want, but I want no part in this."

"Father asked you to keep an eye on Sonny."

"Oh, I'll keep an eye on him, all right." Chad frowned at EJ. "I'll make damn sure nothing happens to him!" He opened his car door and sighed. "He's one of the few friends I have in Salem." He got into his car and drove off.

EJ sighed and watched his brother drive off. "Well, Chad….you do what you have to do. In the meantime, I need to do some damage control myself." He pulled out his phone as it rang. Justin. "I was just about to call you."

"We need to meet. Now." Justin said sounding a bit upset.

"Couldn't agree more." EJ said. "Usual spot?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Right. See you then." EJ got into his car and drove. Justin was already sitting on a bench when he arrived. He stood up.

"So, I was caught on camera." Justin replied calmly. "I'll admit: I should have been more careful."

"Yes, well…I should have told you about those cameras, so, it's on me, too." EJ nodded. "Stefano is dead set on revenge against you. He also knows you have a son, Sonny, and that he and Chad work together. He asked Chad to keep an eye on Sonny- possibly for information or something- but Chad later told me he'll make sure nothing bad happens to him."

Justin exhaled. Chills ran up and down his spine and his heart pounded in his chest. He cleared his throat. "Can, uh…can I trust Chad?"

EJ nodded. "Sonny is one of the few friends Chad has in Salem. He won't let anything happen to him. Besides…William is quite the capable protector as well. He'll protect Sonny, too."

"So, you're putting your future stepson in harm's way to protect my son?"

"I don't have to. He'll do it anyway." EJ shrugged. He sighed. "But if I were you, I'd get your wife and son out of this country for the next two weeks."

Justin nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome." EJ nodded and left.

Justin sank back on the bench and rubbed his eyes. "What have I done?" He sighed and pulled out his phone.

"Hello?"

"Adrienne…I need you to pack a suitcase for two weeks. You and Sonny need to get out of the country to keep you both safe."

"Safe from whom? Justin, what's going on?" Adrienne asked.

"Safe from Stefano." Justin replied.

Adrienne was silent for a minute. "Uh…why is Stefano after you?"

"Because I took his proxy notebook from his office building."

"Why?"

"So I can bring him down and leave him with nothing." Justin explained.

"…Okay, is there a reason you're telling me this over the phone instead of in person?" Adrienne asked.

"Because I needed to tell you right away. I wasn't sure where you are." Justin replied.

"I'm at home." Adrienne replied. "Justin…I don't think we'll be able to convince Sonny to come with us."

"The fact that he's in danger from Stefano isn't enough reason to leave?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but, he'll want to bring Will, who will want to bring Arianna, who can't be away from her mother for too long, and Gabi can't leave her brother because he's still recovering." Adrienne said. "What if we just hire bodyguards?"

Justin thought about that. It would be effective. He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that might work."

"Okay. See you at home."

It was late when Justin met with EJ. He didn't want to call or pay a visit for fear of waking up little Arianna. So, he just sent him a text telling him to call the minute he woke up.

XXX

Chad sighed as he opened up the coffeehouse. Sonny was due in a half hour, so, hopefully he'll show up unharmed. He cleaned up the shop a little and warmed up the coffeemakers. He looked at the clock. Sonny was now ten minutes late. He stiffened.

'Oh, God, what if they got him already?' Chad wondered worriedly. Then, he sighed in relief when Sonny flew through the door.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late." Sonny apologized and put his apron on. "Little Ari kept us up half the night, so I didn't get much sleep."

"Oh, it's fine." Chad smiled. "Coffee machine's warming up."

"Ooh. Good." Sonny checked his phone. "Oh, crap."

"What?" Chad asked.

"Um, my mom left five messages." Sonny replied. He turned to the coffee machine and called his mother.

"Why didn't you call Dad? He texted you to call!" Adrienne exclaimed.

"Sorry! I was running late, so I haven't had a chance to call." Sonny replied.

Adrienne exhaled to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little too overprotective for my own good."

Sonny chuckled. "So, what did Dad want?"

Chad tapped him on the shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have customers."

Sonny looked towards the growing line and turned back to his phone. "Mom, I gotta go. I have customers. Call me or visit me later. Love ya. Bye."

"W-wait…" Adrienne sighed and hung up in defeat.

XXX

A few hours later, Stefano walked in and looked around. He finally spotted Sonny heading to the kitchens and sat at the counter.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" Asked a barista.

"Ah, yes. I shall have a nonfat latte, no cream, no milk, no sugar." Stefano smiled.

"All right. That'll be a dollar eighty-two."

Stefano paid the barista as Sonny headed to the counter. He took out a rag and wiped it down. Stefano cleared his throat. "You are Sonny Kiriakis, yes?"

Sonny glanced over at Stefano. "Uh, yeah. You're…Stefano, right?"

Stefano nodded. He raised his cup. "This is good coffee."

"Oh. Thank you." Sonny replied.

"So, you are in college too?"

"Yeah. I go to Salem U." Sonny nodded. "I graduate next year."

"Ah." Stefano nodded. "I bet you have all the girls chasing you, hmm?"

Sonny chuckled. "Yes. And guys."

"I see. You still live at home?"

Sonny started to get uncomfortable with the interrogation. "Uh…no, I live with my boyfriend. Um…why do you ask?"

"I am just curious." Stefano shrugged. "Just making conversation, that sort of thing."

Victor walked in and saw Stefano talking to Sonny. He walked over, cleared his throat, and folded his arms. "Really?"

Stefano turned to Victor. "What? I can't drink coffee in a coffeehouse, Victor? Is that a crime now? Pur lamor du mio. What have we come to, hmm?"

"You are talking to my grandnephew." Victor observed.

"Oh. Oh, I see. I can't talk in a civilized manner to your family, is that it?" Stefano raised an eyebrow. "Do we have to obey you all the time?" He stood and faced the tables and clapped his hands. "Everyone listen up! It is Victor's Law from now on, huh? All hail the great Victor Kiriakis!"

Victor grabbed Stefano by the collar and dragged him out of the restaurant. He pinned him against a wall. "Listen to me, you son of a bitch! If you harm one hair on that boy's head, I will kill your grandchildren slowly and painfully in front of you and your children. Then you will watch your remaining three children die slowly and painfully. But I won't kill you. You will live out the rest of your days knowing you could have saved your descendants by backing the hell off my nephew."

Stefano glared at Victor. "You kill my family…" He shoved Victor off. "and your family dies, too!"

"Well, then I suggest you stop with the revenge kick." Victor replied.

Stefano kept his glare as he moved around Victor and left. Victor sighed and walked back into the coffeeshop. He headed to the counter.

"So, Sonny…what did you and Stefano talk about?" Victor asked casually.

"Nothing much, really." Sonny shrugged. "He wanted to know where I go to school and he asked if I still lived at home."

"What else?" Victor asked.

"Uh, well, I told him I am living with my boyfriend." Sonny replied. "Uncle Vic, what's going on?"

Victor heaved a sigh. "I think it's best that we talk about this in private."

Sonny nodded. "Okay. Hey, Chad, I am going to step out for a minute. Family stuff."

'Probably to warn him about Stefano.' Chad thought. "Okay. I'll hold down the fort."

"Thanks." He and Victor went outside. "Okay, spill."

"Your father went to DiMera Enterprises the other day and stole Stefano's proxy notebook." Victor explained. "Stefano found out, now he wants revenge."

Sonny sighed and shook his head. "Why would he do that?"

"He's working with EJ to bring Stefano down."

'Oh, dammit, Dad…' Sonny thought. "Okay, so…what now?"

"We need to get a bodyguard for you." Victor replied. "In the meantime, I don't want you wandering around alone, you hear me?"

Sonny nodded. "Is there any chance they might come after Will, Gabi, and Ari? I almost lost Will once, I can't lose him again."

"I don't know. If you're with them, they might." Sonny exhaled sharply and put a hand over his mouth. Victor put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. Once we get that bodyguard, I promise you: you, your boyfriend, and his daughter will be safe."

Neither noticed Stefano overhearing the conversation. He stroked his beard in thought. 'So…the boy is dating William…hmm….by kidnapping Sonny Kiriakis, I could hurt Justin, but also Will, Kate, Rafe, and Marlena by extension. Perhaps this could also break Elvis and Samantha up for good. Hmm? I would also be hurting Chad, though. Ah well.'


	3. Warnings

Adrienne walked into the busy Brady Pub. She looked around until she saw Will. Will got his job back after realizing A) He needed a job, and B) He also needs to pay child support since Gabi is no longer married. Adrienne smiled as she walked over to her son's boyfriend.

"Hey!" Adrienne greeted, a little too chipper.

Will turned around. "Oh, hey, Adrienne. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. I was just in the neighborhood." Adrienne nodded and folded her arms. "So, how's Arianna?"

"Doing good! She's smiling a lot now." Will smiled himself.

"Good. I bet you and Sonny spend a lot of time with her."

"Of course! You know what they say: the family that plays together, stays together." Will replied. "Sonny and I do have alone time most nights."

"Oh. Good. I mean, you know, whatever, but…" Adrienne sighed. There was an awkward silence and she sobered up. "Um… listen, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Keep a close watch on Sonny." Adrienne replied. "It's a long story, but…"

"Is he in danger?" Will asked worriedly.

"No. Not yet, anyway." Adrienne cleared her throat. "Just….keep an eye on him for me, would you please?"

"Yeah, sure. Of course." Will said with confusion.

XXX

Sami isn't one to pry…

Oh, who am I kidding? Sami was in the DiMera living room where Stefano left some of his papers and his laptop. Curious, Sami made sure no one was within earshot, she opened up the laptop and turned it on.

'Ooh, hey, maybe the evidence against Will shooting EJ is on here.' She thought. She flipped through the files and clicked on one. It was an image file of Justin leaving DiMera Enterprises. 'The hell?' She clicked on another file which contained a bio of Sonny. 'Why does Stefano have Sonny's file? And what the hell was Justin doing at DiMera Enterprises?' Just then, the doors opened. Sami jumped and whirled around. She relaxed, when she saw EJ.

"What are you doing?" EJ asked stiffly.

"I was checking to see if maybe Stefano has the evidence against Will on his computer." Sami replied. She turned the laptop towards EJ. "Imagine my surprise when I find a surveillance photo of Justin Kiriakis leaving your dad's office and Sonny's file."

EJ's stomach dropped. "You weren't exactly supposed to see that…"

Sami stood up, glared at EJ, and walked slowly towards him. "Why. Does. Stefano. Have. Sonny's. File?"

EJ sighed and locked the doors. He turned to his fuming fiancée. "Because his father stole Stefano's proxy notebook."

Sami was surprised at that. "How do you know that? It could be just a coincidence!"

"I asked him to steal it." EJ admitted.

"Why?!" Sami asked, aghast.

"Because it's the one thing that could destroy my father. Professionally, socially, and personally." EJ replied.

"Wait…" Sami brought up her hands in confusion. "Are you….are you working with Justin to bring him down?" EJ nodded. "Whose idea was this?"

"The plan was all my idea." EJ replied. "Samantha….I didn't tell you because…as much as I love you, you have a tendency to do crazy things when someone is scheming something."

Sami huffed and shook her head. "Uh…okay, fine. So…why bring Sonny into this? He has nothing to do with this!"

EJ hesitated. He didn't want her to be an accessory to kidnapping. But if he doesn't tell her, she won't stop asking until he does. He was about to respond, when…

"Oh my God!" Sami cried. "Okay, please don't tell me he's going to be used against Justin! Tell me!"

EJ swallowed and didn't respond to that. He didn't want to lie, either. Instead, he walked over and poured himself a drink.

Sami slowly walked over to him. "EJ….Sonny is Will's boyfriend. Will is going to be your stepson. If something bad happens to Sonny and you didn't do anything to stop it, Will will never forgive you, and by extension, he's never going to forgive me! I won't see my granddaughter again."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic." EJ rolled his eyes and took a drink. Sami slapped his glass away, sending it shattering to the floor. EJ glared at her. "You owe me a shot glass."

Sami ignored that and pointed a warning finger at EJ. "You are going to call off the attack or whatever you're planning, EJ. You are going to call it off, now!"

"There's nothing I can do, Samantha! If I call off the attack, Father will be suspicious."

"Is keeping your cover more important than saving the kid whose boyfriend is going to be your stepson?" Sami asked, shocked. EJ just stared at her. "I've never been more disappointed in you." With that, she left.

"But…" EJ sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'Thanks, Father. Thanks a lot.'

XXX

Justin walked into the coffeeshop. Catching his son's eye, he jerked his head towards the door, pointed to him, then himself, then made a talking motion with his hand. Sonny made sure no one else needed help, then followed his father outside. He leaned against a wall and folded his arms. "Uncle Vic told me everything."

Justin nodded. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful."

"You shouldn't have done it at all, Dad!" Sonny threw his arms out. "God…I can't believe you would do something so stupid and suicidal!"

"I guess…I just wanted to be the Kiriakis who brought down Stefano DiMera." Justin shook his head in shame. "I didn't think about how it would impact you and your mother. I should have said no."

"Yeah, you should have." Sonny sighed. "God, Dad…what if something happens to Will or to Gabi or Ari if any of them are with me?"

"I'll make sure nothing happens…"

"Yeah." Sonny just nodded and walked back into the coffeehouse.

XXX

A couple hours later, Will walked into Common Grounds. The crowds have shrunk to just a few people this evening. He smiled and he saw his boyfriend cleaning off a table. Sonny looked up and smiled back.

"Hey!" Sonny greeted. He walked over, threw his arms around his boyfriend's neck and kissed him. "How are you today?"

Will smiled back. "Well, I got an interesting visit from your mom."

"Really?" Sonny asked, slightly tensing. "What did you guys talk about?"

"She told me to keep an eye on you. She looked distracted." Will replied. "Any idea why?"

Sonny sighed slowly. He took Will's hand and dragged him to the back of the coffeehouse on a couch. "My dad is working to bring Stefano DiMera down. Stefano found out and he wants payback."

Will paled. "Well…did….did you call the police?"

"Stefano has a mole inside the Salem PD, remember?" Sonny reminded Will. "It's not gonna do any good."

"Isn't there anything your great-uncle can do?" Will asked.

"Well, he's going to hire bodyguards for me and my family." Sonny shrugged. "That's about all he can do."

"What about leaving the country?" Will asked.

"Without you, though?"

"Hey, better you on a long vacation than dead!" Will exclaimed.

"Good point." He ran to the back to get his laptop. He sat on the couch and opened it up. "I will book a flight to Dubai for tomorrow morning."

"Genius." Will complimented.

Sonny sighed. "Damn. There's no flight until Saturday. Um…" He looked up any flights to Greece. "Ooh! There's a flight to Athens leaving at two am tonight. Perfect!"

Will peered at the page. "It says you need priority clearance."

"My Uncle Vic has priority clearance." Sonny pulled out his phone. "Hey, Uncle Vic. I'm leaving this country tonight, but I need priority clearance."

"What if Stefano finds you?" Victor asked. "Then what will you do?"

Sonny sunk. "Oh. Didn't think about that."

Victor sighed. "All right. Just come to the Kiriakis mansion. We'll keep you safe there."

"All right. Let me close up, and I'll be there."

"All right. I'll see you."

XXX

Sami panted for breath as she entered the Brady Pub. She looked around frantically for her father, Hope, or Rafe. Neither were there. She exhaled in frustration and pulled out her phone. "Come on, come on, pick up!"

"You've reached Commissioner Roman Brady. Leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can."

"Dad, it's Sami. Call me the minute you get this. It's urgent." Sami hung up and called Hope. It went straight to voicemail. "Aunt Hope, please call me the minute you get this. It's urgent." Sami hung up and called Rafe. No answer. She groaned in frustration. "Are you kidding me?!" She called Gabi.

"Hey, Sami. What's up?" Gabi asked.

"Gabi, is Rafe still at your apartment?" Sami asked.

"No. He went home. He's so tired." Gabi replied. "Why, what's up?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine. I gotta go." Sami hung up and turned to see her grandmother standing behind her.

"Is everything okay?" Caroline asked.

Sami exhaled. "I hope so. Is Will still here?"

"No, honey. He left about an hour ago to Common Grounds." Caroline replied.

"Okay, thanks. See you later." Sami turned to run out of the restaurant and almost knocked over Abby. "Sorry!"

Abby and Cameron stared after Sami. "What was that about?"

"Not sure." Abby replied. "Something crazy, I assume."

XX

Sami sprinted to Common Grounds only to find it closed. "Really?!" She exclaimed. "Okay…okay….how am I going to do this? Um…well…let's see….maybe…if…I try to save Sonny and get shot, EJ will be more inclined to help Sonny! Yes, that'll do…" She called Will and started walking.

XXX

Will and Sonny walked hand-in-hand keeping both eyes peeled for kidnappers. They walked in silence for a while. Sonny kissed Will's hand and then gazed off, lost in thought.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Will asked.

"Just this whole mess with my dad and the DiMeras." Sonny replied. He swallowed. "I'm just worried that something really terrible would happen."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Besides you being targeted for kidnapping?"

"Yeah. What if the people I care about don't come out of this alive?" Sonny asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Hey…" Will stopped walking and turned Sonny around to face him. He cupped his face in his hands. "You gotta stop thinking about that. You have the whole town looking out for you. I'm sure…I'm sure EJ and Chad will do everything they can to prevent this thing from happening. Hell, your Uncle Vic could probably stop this from happening."

Sonny chuckled and nodded. "Still…"

"Have you talked to your dad at all today?" Will asked.

"Yeah." Sonny sighed. "I told him how stupid he was for working with EJ against Stefano."

"You had an argument? Wow. In this case, I really hope nothing happens." Will replied.

"Yeah, I know. I'll apologize when I see him."

"Good." Will replied. "Your relationship with your dad….it's one of the best relationships here in Salem."

"Aww, thanks." Sonny pulled Will into a hug.

"Mm. Don't worry- I'll keep you safe." Will replied, hugging him back.

"We'll keep each other safe." Sonny pulled away. "All right. Let's get home so I can pack a few things."

"What- you don't have clothes at the mansion?" Will teased lightly.

Sonny laughed softly and lightly slugged Will playfully. They heard rustling in the bushes. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Will stepped in front of Sonny protectively and looked around. The rustling came closer and closer. They backed away slowly, and a bunny hopped out. Will and Sonny exhaled with relief and laughed. "Yeesh! I thought that only happens in movies!"

"Yeah, really!"

Will's phone rang. "Hey, Mom."

"Will! Where are you?" Sami asked frantically.

"I'm about a mile south of Horton Square. Why? Is Arianna okay?" Will asked worriedly.

"No, Ari's okay, but Sonny might not be!"

"Mom, Sonny's right next to me. Is this about Sonny being targeted because of his dad?" Will replied.

"Yes, actually." Sami sighed. "Wait…what are you doing out alone at night? Don't you know that's when most kidnappings happen?"

"That's why we're headed to Sonny's uncle Victor's house." Will replied.

Sami exhaled. "Okay. I called Aunt Hope, your grandpa, and Rafe and left messages."

"Why didn't you just call the station?" Will asked.

"I did! No one answered!" Sami exclaimed.

Will sighed. "Okay. I'll call you when we get to the K-mansion, okay?"

"Fine. The very second."

"The very second." Will promised. "I'll talk to you soon. Bye." Will hung up. "Well, my mom knows about the threat. She called my grandpa, aunt, and Rafe and left messages."

"Oh. Well, that's good." Sonny nodded. They continued walking.

Will nodded. "Listen, Sonny…if they find us, no matter what happens to me, I want you to keep running."

Sonny stopped again. "Will, I almost lost you last time I did that."

"I know. But like I said earlier: better you on a long vacation than dead." Will said. "I love you. You are the first person in my whole life who has been completely one hundred percent there for me. Now it's my turn to be there for you. That includes keeping you safe."

Sonny couldn't help getting choked up. "You always find ways to make me fall more in love with you."

"That's what I'm here for." Will grinned.

Sonny pulled out his buzzing phone. "Chad."

"Dude, get the hell to a public place, now!"

"Uh- why?"

"The plan is in action. They're going to kidnap you tonight!" Chad whispered.

Sonny paled and shivers ran up and down his spine. He lowered the phone. "Oh my God."

"Sonny?" Chad whispered into the phone.

Sonny brought the phone back up. "Thanks, Chad for the warning." He hung up and turned to Will. "Tonight's the night."

Will paled and his heart quickened. "Okay, forget the mansion. My dad's is closer."

"Okay." Sonny and Will were about to run, when Will grunted and collapsed to the ground. Sonny looked down and noticed a tranquilizer dart sticking out of his leg. He looked up to see a van driving up and stood. He was about to run when someone pressed a gun against his head.

"Not one sound unless you want me to put a bullet in your boyfriend's head." The man said. Another pointed a gun at Will's head.

Sonny swallowed and nodded. Fear welled up inside of him. He tried his best to hold it down.


	4. Kidnapped

"I'm just saying that if you're gonna make a movie from a book, you should at least have the plot right."

Abby and Cameron were walking hand in hand down the street. Cameron chuckled. "Hey, at least there were actual actors in it! That at least gives it some credit."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever. It still sucked." They walked around a corner and stopped dead in their tracks. They ducked behind a pole and saw Sonny being led at gunpoint to a van. "SONNY!" Abby screamed before she (or Cameron) could stop herself. One of Sonny's kidnappers whirled around and fired a gun at the young couple. Abby screamed and swung up her purse. The bullet shot through the purse and struck Abigail in the stomach. Cameron felt the bullet graze his throat and pulled them both down. He put a hand over Abigail's mouth to muffle her sobs. Cameron listened as the van drove off and sat up.

"Abigail?" He asked worriedly. Abby was gasping and sobbing. He lifted up her shirt. The bullet stuck out of her stomach like shrapnel. Cameron sighed with relief. "Okay, stay with me. We're gonna get you to a hospital." He put pressure around the bullet and pulled out his phone. They heard rustling, and out came Sami panting for breath.

"Cameron?" Sami said breathlessly. She looked down and gasped. "Oh my god! What happened here?"

"Sonny was kidnapped and Abby and I were shot." Cameron explained.

"No…" Sami whispered and started hyperventilating. She looked around. "Wait…you said Sonny. Where's Will?" She looked around and saw Will laying on the ground. She ran to him. "WILL!" She collapsed at his side and checked his pulse, breathing, and heartbeat. She sighed with relief and hugged him.

Cameron rushed over on the phone. "Yeah, thanks." He hung up and knelt down to examine Will. He pulled out the tranquilizer dart. "Sami, he's gonna be fine. This just looks like a horse tranquilizer. He'll be out all night."

Sami nodded and swallowed. "Okay. Um…what exactly happened?"

"Abby and I were on our way home from a movie." Cameron explained as they heard distant sirens. "We saw Sonny being led into a van at gunpoint. Abigail screamed for him…"

"Oh, that was smart." Sami said sarcastically.

Cameron glared at Sami and continued. "Then one of the kidnappers shot at us. Luckily, the bullet went through Abby's purse and struck her stomach. Hold on, I gotta call her mom."

XXX

At the hospital, Jennifer and JJ rushed into the nurse's station. "Where is she?! Where is she?!"

Maxine held up her hands to calm the woman down. "She's okay, Jenn. It's just a flesh wound. Dr. Davis is working on her right now."

"So, she's gonna be okay?" JJ asked.

"Yes. She'll be just fine."

XXX

Meanwhile, Hope and Abe were in the waiting room questioning Sami.

"Okay…why don't we start from the beginning, and don't you dare leave anything out this time." Hope stared warningly at her niece.

Sami took a deep breath. "Um…okay. I was looking through Stefano's laptop-"

"Why?"

"'Cause I was bored?" Sami supplied. Abe and Hope stared in disbelief. Sami sighed. "Fine, fine, fine. I was looking to see if there was anything about Bernardi or Rafe on his laptop."

"Was there?" Abe asked.

"I didn't check, because two windows were already popped up on the screen." Sami replied. "One of them was a surveillance photo of Justin leaving DiMera Enterprises, and another was Sonny's file. Oh my god, Sonny! Does his parents know he was kidnapped?"

"Your dad's on his way to tell them now." Hope replied. "What happened after you saw those windows?"

"EJ came in. I confronted him about it, and…well, he basically confirmed that he and Justin were working together to bring down Stefano." Sami explained.

"EJ told you this?" Abe guessed.

"He didn't have to tell me. I figured it out." Sami replied. "He avoided telling me the whole story. I told him that if keeping his cover is more important than protecting someone whose boyfriend is going to be his stepson, I have never been more disappointed in him."

'So….brainwashing and trying to kill your stepdad, framing him for embezzlement, staging your daughter's kidnapping, forcing you to have sex with him to save Lucas, kidnapping your husband and placing an imposter into your life, and blackmailing your son isn't disappointing enough?' Hope wondered. Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait…the DiMeras kidnapped Sonny…and Abby and Cameron witnessed it. If they knew those two were alive, they might kill them if they talk. Oh, crap!" She stood up. "Excuse me." She left and walked fast to Jenn, who was sitting on a chair with her head in her hands. "Jenn."

Jennifer looked up. "Hey…what's wrong?"

"I need to know Abby's status." Hope explained.

"They're just finishing up her surgery. Why?" Jenn asked, concerned.

Hope looked around to make sure no one's listening. She saw Maxine and Kayla and gestured them over. The four women huddled together. "Okay, listen to me very carefully. The DiMera's kidnapped Sonny Kiriakis."

Kayla's eyes widened and her stomach dropped. "Oh my God!"

"Abigail and Cameron witnessed it. Now, since they made it out alive, the DiMera's might be after them." Hope continued. "We're gonna have to protect them."

"How?" Jenn asked.

"We fake their deaths." Hope suggested. "It's the only way."

Jenn sighed and nodded. "Yeah…yeah. I agree."

"You really think we can pull this off?" Kayla asked.

"We have to make it really convincing." Hope replied. "How much longer is Abby's surgery?"

Kayla checked her watch. "Five minutes. I'll fill Daniel and Cameron in." She stood and ran to Abby's OR.

"Well, Miss Jennifer, you are going to have your hands full with this one." Maxine commented.

Jenn chuckled. "I don't suppose I can step down due to overwhelming grief?"

"That would make Ann happy." Maxine chuckled.

"Yeah." Jenn chuckled.

XXX

Roman sighed as he rang the doorbell to the Kiriakis Mansion. Henderson answered.

"Commissioner Brady." Henderson greeted.

"Hello, Henderson. I realize it's late, but I really need to speak to Justin and Adrienne. It's an emergency."

"Of course." Henderson nodded and headed upstairs.

Victor walked into the living room in his bathrobe. "Roman? What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?"

"It's about Sonny." Roman revealed. Victor paled. He was about to say something when….

"What's about Sonny?" Adrienne asked from the doorway. She and Justin walked in.

Roman heaved a sigh. "Adrienne, Justin…Sonny was kidnapped about an hour ago from a neighborhood just south of Horton Square."

They were silent for a minute. Then…

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Adrienne screamed, then collapsed onto the floor sobbing hysterically. Justin knelt down to comfort his wife. Maggie and Brady rushed into the living room.

"What on earth is going on?!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Sonny has been kidnapped." Victor told her.

Maggie gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my God! Do we know who did it?"

Roman's phone rang. "Excuse me. I gotta take this."

XXX

Kayla, Daniel, and Cameron were alone with an unconscious Abby in the OR. "Okay, so we're all onboard with this?"

Daniel and Cameron nodded. "So, who's gonna deliver the 'bad news' to Jennifer?"

Kayla exhaled. "I'll do it. My nephew was kidnapped, so…that's reason enough for me to work up real tears. God, now I feel awful. Using my nephew's kidnapping to confirm Abigail's death?"

"Hey…you're doing this for a good cause." Daniel comforted her. He sighed. "I'll go with you for emotional support. Jen's gonna need it."

"I'll stay behind." Cameron spoke up. "Abigail's gonna be pissed, but I have an idea of how to fake my death."

Daniel nodded. "Okay. You have about ten minutes."

"Thanks."

Kayla worked up her tears and let Daniel lead her out to the nurse's station. Jennifer rushed up to the two with Maxine right behind her. A few nurses, visitors, and patients were there and decided to listen in.

"How is she?" Jennifer asked in what she hoped was a worried tone.

Kayla just cried and shook her head. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could, but…there was just so much arterial damage, that…she succumbed to her injuries."

Jennifer started hyperventilating. She let her knees buckle. "No…NO!" She thought of Sonny being kidnapped and forced wracking sobs ('God, sorry, Sonny…' She thought to herself) and collapsed in Daniel's arms. Sami and Abe rushed out to see what was going on.

Sami saw Jennifer sobbing hysterically in Daniel's arms and Kayla sobbing in Maxine's arms and put two and two together. She gasped and started slowly shaking her head. "No…no, I saw her. She was breathing…"

Abe put an arm around Sami. "God…poor Jennifer, JJ, and Cameron."

XXX

Meanwhile, Hope, still in the waiting area called Roman.

"Brady."

"Roman, it's me. Are you with the Kiriakises?"

"Yeah. I just told them that Sonny was kidnapped, and then you called." Roman replied.

Hope sighed. "Okay. This is about Abigail and Cameron."

"Are they okay?"

"They, are, but…since Sonny was kidnapped by the DiMeras and if they find out they're alive, they will come after them." Hope explained.

Roman nodded in understanding. "And if we let on they're dead, they'll think they're winning."

"And with Abby and Cameron's help, we might be able to identify Sonny's kidnappers and the vehicles." Hope replied, getting excited. She then sobered up. "Oh- one more thing: the reason Sonny was kidnapped was because Justin stole something from Stefano. Justin is working with EJ to bring Stefano down."

"Or to set Justin up." Roman replied. "Which means…we're gonna have to tell everyone that Abby and Cameron are dead. Who knows of this plan?"

"Just me, Kayla, Maxine, Daniel, Cameron, Jennifer, eventually Abby herself, and now you." Hope replied. "We'll also have to include Abe and Rafe in on this. We'll need more police help."

"Okay. I'll see if I can get Justin to admit to what he's done." Roman replied. He heard footsteps and saw a shadow. "Uh, my deepest and heartfelt condolences. Please relay those condolences to Jennifer and Kayla."

Hope was about to speak, when she heard a scream and loud sobbing. "Aaand speaking of Jennifer…. Thanks, Roman. Talk to you soon."

"All right. Bye."

XXX

Hope rushed into the nurse's station looking around. "What's happening? What's going on?"

Sami turned to her aunt with tear filled eyes and sniffed. "She died, Aunt Hope. Abby…d-died."

Hope gasped and shook her head. "No…."

"I'm so sorry." Sami sobbed. "If I'd arrived just a few minutes earlier…"

"Oh…" Hope pulled Sami into a hug. "There, there. It's not your fault."

XXX

Roman took a deep breath, frowned in fury, and marched into the living room.

"Justin, just tell them." Adrienne was saying tearfully. She sniffed. "Tell them, or I will."

"Tell who, what?" Roman asked looking at Justin.

Justin turned to Roman and sighed in resignation. "I'm working with EJ DiMera to bring Stefano down. Stefano found out and now he's kidnapped Sonny."

"What?!" Maggie exclaimed. She turned to her husband. "Victor, did you know about this?"

Victor sighed. "Yes. We were hoping we would get Sonny and Adrienne out of the country before anything happened, but…" Maggie just stared at her husband with hurt and disappointment written on her face and shook her head. How could he keep this from her?

"God…really, Justin?!" Brady exclaimed in anger. "Did you not learn anything from me and Kristen? Never. Trust. A DiMera."

"It was foolish, I realize that." Justin exhaled. "Now that the secret's out, I'll need your help."

Roman nodded. "Of course. I'm just glad you finally decided to ask."

Justin smiled. "I'm just glad no one else got hurt."

Roman sighed and bowed his head. "Actually….there's something we need to talk about."

"Oh dear god, what happened?" Adrienne asked fearfully.

"Will was with Sonny when he was abducted. He's all right- they shot him with a horse tranquilizer." Roman reported. "However…Abigail Deveraux and Cameron Davis witnessed the kidnapping and someone shot both of them."

"Oh my God!" Maggie exclaimed horrified. "Please tell me Abby's okay!"

"I'm afraid…they were unable to save her." Roman lied. "I'm so sorry."

Maggie burst into tears and collapsed on the couch. "No!"

"Oh God, Abby!" Adrienne burst out sobbing and collapsed on the couch as well. She and Maggie held each other.

Justin just stood there as if everything in his body stopped working. Brady huffed and walked slowly to a table. He and Abby weren't really close, but, they were still good friends. He couldn't believe those evil bastards freaking killed that girl! IN COLD BLOOD! He threw the table aside and stormed back to the group.

"That's it. I am calling some of the guys from Titan, and we are going all Braveheart on those DiMeras!" He declared angrily.

Roman raised his hands to calm him. "Brady, don't. You don't want to make this worse. Think of what Abigail would want."

Brady sighed and folded his arms. He remembered a conversation he overheard between Abigail and Jennifer almost a year ago….when everyone found out Nicole framed Jennifer for her baby's murder.

"I'm glad Nicole didn't take the easy way out. She has to pay." She had said.

"You really don't think she'd want us to avenge her death?" Brady asked calmly.

"Of course she wouldn't!" Maggie said in shock. She stood up, pulling Adrienne with her. "Come along. Jennifer needs us now more than ever."

Adrienne nodded in agreement. Without casting another glance towards Justin, she and Maggie headed out. Victor started to say something to his wife, when she just pointed to him angrily without looking at him.

"Don't even look at me." Maggie snapped as she and Adrienne walked out.

Justin shook his head and cleared his throat. "I…this wasn't supposed to be like this. No one was supposed to get hurt."

"Yeah, well, they did." Brady snapped. He calmed down. "Now, I'm gonna head over to the hospital. Maggie's right: Jenn's gonna need us more than ever."

"Okay, just don't confront the DiMeras." Victor stared at his grandson warningly.

"I won't." Brady promised. He left.

"How am I supposed to face Jennifer? Knowing that I indirectly got her daughter killed?" Justin wondered aloud.

"You'll have to eventually." Victor replied. "If you don't at least convey your condolences and apologies, she'll be hurt that you…betrayed her and Abby."

Justin nodded. He sniffed and swallowed. "I'll uh…I'll go to the hospital, then."

"We'll go, too." Victor nodded to Roman, who also nodded. "Justin, it's going to be okay. Sonny is strong-willed and a quick thinker. He'll survive this."

Justin smiled. "Tell me something I don't know."

XXX

Meanwhile, Cameron got ready for his staged death. He carefully cut a line through the flesh of his neck. There was a package of donated blood in the OR, and he used that to make it seem like the cut was deeper. He then wrote a suicide note. As he clipped the note to his labcoat, Abby stirred.

"Cameron?" Abby muttered.

'Crap. Better tell her now.' Cameron thought. He approached Abby. "Hey."

Abby looked at Cameron and her eyes widened in horror. Cameron quickly raised his hands to calm her. "Abby, Abby, relax. This isn't my blood. Let me explain. Sonny was kidnapped by the DiMeras and we witnessed it. If they knew we were alive, they will come after us so we won't talk to the police. The police would be one step ahead of the DiMeras for once."

Abby sighed. This was a lot to process. "So we just lie. To everyone."

"Not everyone." Cameron shrugged. "Your mom, JJ, Daniel, your aunt Kayla, Hope, Roman, Rafe, Maxine, and Abe are all in on this."

Abby nodded in understanding. "So…what- we just hide until Sonny is found?"

"We don't know. The first step is to convince everyone we're dead." Cameron replied. He checked his watch. "All right. We're running short on time, so, I need to know: are you in?"

Abby couldn't believe what she was hearing. But if it protects Sonny, herself and their families… "Fine."

"Great. Now play dead." Cameron replied.

"Wait- how are you faking it?" Cameron showed her the suicide note. Abby gave him a reproachful glare. "Really? Melodramatic much?"

"Well, people saw me coming into the hospital, so…" Cameron shrugged. They heard footsteps. "Show time."

Abby sighed and just closed her eyes. Cameron lay flat on the floor. He held Abigail's hand at the side of the bed and let go. A knife lay on his other side. He closed his eyes.

Kayla gasped as she walked in. 'Oh, nice, Cameron!'

XX

Jennifer and JJ were moved to the waiting room waiting for the fake death certificate and fake release forms. Hope and Abe got everything under control in the Nurse's station. All of a sudden, they heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the OR.

"NO! OH, GOD, HELP!"

Hope, Abe, Daniel, and Maxine rushed into the OR, where Kayla was sobbing.

"Kayla! What's wrong?" Hope asked.

Kayla gasped for breath and pointed to Cameron's "dead" body. They all gasped. Daniel rushed to his side and felt his pulse.

"He's dead." Daniel lied. He sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Oh my God…" Kayla sniffed. "A few minutes. If I was just a few minutes earlier, I could've…God, why do I always arrive late for these things?!"

Abe rushed to comfort his friend. "It's okay, Kayla. There was no way you could have known."

Hope surveyed the room and spotted a knife next to Cameron. She also saw a note pinned to his lab coat. She bent down and pulled it off. "Guys, this is a suicide note."

"What's it say?" Kayla asked.

"'I'm sorry, but I can't live without her.'" Hope read. Hmm. A little overdramatic, but to the point.

"Okay…" Abe cleared his throat. "Let's get these two to the morgue."

"What about the autopsy?" Hope asked.

"There's not going to be one." Abe declared. "They wanted them dead, now they're dead."

XXX

Sonny groaned as he woke up. After he got into the van, they injected him with what he assumed was chloroform. He felt a gag in his mouth, a bag over his head, his hands were tied behind his back, and they were moving fast. It sounded like he was on a boat. He hoped Will was okay. And Abby…she and Cameron saw him being taken, but someone shot them. Someone had held Sonny's arms behind him, so he wasn't able to stop the gunman. Oh, God…

The boat stopped and Sonny heard footsteps. He tried to sit up, but found that he was in a hatch under a seat. Someone opened the hatch and pulled him out.

"Walk." The stranger said to Sonny. He obeyed. They walked to a flat deck. "Step down." Sonny stepped down onto a wooden dock.

"Let's move. The cabin is about a mile this way." One man said in a gruff voice. Two men marched Sonny into the woods. He tried his best to stay calm.

About fifteen minutes later, they led Sonny into a large shed, sat him down, and tied him to a chair. Someone then pulled the sack off his head. Sonny blinked in the dim light and glared at his captors.

XXX

At the hospital, Sami let out a huge yawn. After checking in on Will, the doctors said he is good to go in the morning, so she decided to leave. She headed to the elevator when it opened. At the moment, Jenn, JJ, Hope, and Kayla walked out into the nurse's station. Adrienne, Justin, Brady, Maggie, Victor, and Roman all stepped off the elevator.

Adrienne cast one glare at Sami and lunged for her. Justin, Hope, and Brady held her back. "YOU BITCH! I KNOW YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! MY SON WAS KIDNAPPED AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Hold onto her!" Justin exclaimed. Jennifer stared wide-eyed in shock and covered her mouth. Sami just stood there, appalled at the accusation. "Adrienne, calm down! This isn't Sami's fault."

"Are you serious? I tried to SAVE your son! I just didn't get there in time!" Sami glared at Adrienne. "I can't believe how ungrateful you are."

"I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL?!"

"Yes. Absolutely!" Sami exclaimed. "I tried calling the police the minute I found out about it, but no one answered!"

"OH YEAH, RIGHT!" Adrienne continued screaming. "THE MINUTE SONNY SET EYES ON WILL, YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE TO HIM!"

"Uh, if I remember correctly, your son came up with the idea to search Nick's room and to follow him and Gabi when they were kidnapped." Sami recounted. "Also, it was your husband who decided to represent me and who stole from Stefano of all people!"

"Okay, enough!" Roman commanded. He sighed and turned to Adrienne. "I know you're upset, but don't go around blaming other people." He turned to Sami. "Sami, you're done being questioned, right?"

Sami looked at Hope, who nodded. "Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, my ex-fiance and I need to have a little talk." She left.

XXX

"Please tell me you're joking." EJ was saying over the phone. He paced in the living room of the DiMera mansion. "You didn't harm William, did you? …. Good." He paused, and his eyes widened in horror. "You WHAT?! …. WHAT?! …. Are they dead? ARE THEY?! … Abigail Deveraux is MY BROTHER'S BLOODY GIRLFRIEND! YOU BETTER PRAY SHE'S STILL ALIVE, YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL! … TO HELL WITH MY FATHER! HE CAN CRAWL IN A DITCH FOR ALL I CARE!" He threw the phone against the wall, collapsed onto the couch and groaned loudly. He rubbed his face and calmed himself. 'Well…at least William's okay. It can't get any worse than this…' Just then, he heard tires screeching and a car door slamming. 'Please be Kristen…'

"EJ!" He jumped slightly when he heard his fiancée screaming in anger, then slamming the door shut loudly.

EJ groaned in dread and stood up as Sami burst through the doors to the living room looking angrier than EJ has ever seen her. EJ held up his hands to hopefully calm her down. "Samantha…"

"YOU BASTARD! YOU SAID YOU'D HELP SONNY AND JUSTIN!" Sami screamed. "SONNY WAS FUCKING KIDNAPPED! WILL WAS HIT WITH A TRANQUILIZER, ABBY AND CAMERON WITNESSED IT-"

"I'm sorry! I did everything I could-"

"NOT EVERYTHING, OBVIOUSLY!" Sami went on.

"Are Abby and Cameron okay?" EJ asked sincerely.

"They're dead, EJ." Sami reported. "They're freaking dead! All because you and Justin decided to be idiots and steal from Stefano!"

EJ's stomach dropped. "Oh my God. Samantha, I never meant for that to happen!"

"WELL IT DID!" Sami panted for breath. "You…are going to tell me- and the police- where the hell Sonny is, or so help me, EJ, I will take Johnny and Sydney away where you can't find us, and you'll never see us again!"

EJ shook his head in horror. "Samantha-"

"Tell me where he is, now!"

"Sam-"

"NOW!" Sami screamed in his face and stamped her foot.

EJ jumped and wet his pants a little, but he stood his ground. "I don't know where he is."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

"Father's taking him somewhere, and he'll tell me in the morning where." EJ explained.

"Fine." Sami stormed upstairs and EJ followed.

"Darling, what are you doing?"

Sami pulled out an extra pillow and a blanket and threw them at EJ. "Tomorrow when Stefano contacts you, you give Justin and Adrienne their son back, or you'll be living the rest of your life ALONE!" She went into their bedroom and slammed the door shut.

EJ just sighed and went downstairs to the couch. Now, he could have just slept in one of the five guest rooms, but, Sami was pissed enough already. She wanted to send him a message, and if he didn't get it, they might be over for good.

XXX

The following morning, on a mysterious island, Stefano sat on his couch in his cabin drinking orange juice. He chuckled in triumph and prepared for the day. He figured he'd give the Kiriakises time to stew over Sonny's kidnapping and Abigail's murder before he put his plan into action. His phone rang.

"Ah, Victor." Stefano answered.

"YOU EVIL SON OF A BITCH! I FUCKING WARNED YOU! YOU FUCKING GIVE BACK SONNY, OR I WILL BREAK YOUR JAW! YOUR FUCKING JAW! THEN I WILL FORCE FEED YOU TWENTY BAGS OF SUGAR, THEN I WILL CUT OFF YOUR INSULIN SUPPLY, THEN YOUR DICK WITH A WHITE HOT KNIFE DIPPED IN WHITE HOT CHEESE! THEN I WILL HAVE SOMEONE RAPE YOUR DAUGHTER AND SONS RIGHT IN FREAKING FRONT OF YOU!" Victor screamed into the phone.

Maggie walked in and was shocked and horrified at her husband's violence. "Victor!"

Victor ignored Maggie and continued screaming. "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE?!"

XX

Back at the cabin, Stefano just took out an airhorn and chuckled to himself. When he didn't talk for a few minutes…

"Stefano? Stefano!" Victor glanced at his phone to make sure he hadn't hung up. "Talk to me, you son of a bitch!"

Stefano held the phone close to the nozzle of the horn and blew it. He heard Victor scream and chuckled.

"DAMN YOU! I WILL KILL YOU AND YOU WILL STAY DEAD THIS TIME!"

"Okay. I'll say hi to your daughter for ya." Stefano said, then hung up.

XX

Victor roared in rage, threw his cell phone flying against a wall, and then he threw his liquor table against another wall, and collapsed on the couch panting for breath, and loosening his tie. Maggie slowly approached her husband.

"Well…I don't think I've ever seen you so angry." Maggie commented.

Victor sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Maggie nodded and sat down. "Now, let's talk about why you kept from me and everyone else the fact that Justin is working with EJ."

XXX

Speaking of Justin, he lay awake in his bed. He could hardly sleep the night before. He knew Sonny was strong and brave and resourceful, but, he still couldn't help worrying about him. His phone rang. Checking to make sure Adrienne was still asleep, he crept out into the hall to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Justin Kiriakis." Justin froze as he heard Stefano's voice. "As you may have heard, your son has been kidnapped. It is I who has him."

Justin swallowed. "What do you want?"

"This is all you need to know: if you don't do exactly as I say, your son will die a slow and painful death." Stefano replied.


	5. Leverage

Justin has never been more scared in his life. He almost lost both Adrienne and Sonny during the gas explosion the previous summer, he worried every day Sonny was traveling around the world climbing mountains and touring third world countries, but now…Sonny was in the hands of the most dangerous criminal on the planet. He swallowed his fear and cleared his throat. "What do you want?"

"My proxy notebook for one." Stefano stated. "I assume it's in police custody?"

Justin nodded, then remembered that Stefano can't see him. "Yes."

"Then get it back."

"Why can't you just have one of your moles…?"

"I need to know that I can trust you, hmm?" Stefano raised an eyebrow. "There is a black chevy impala on the corner of Main Street and Elm. You will deliver the notebook to the person in that car. You have three hours."

Justin swallowed and took a deep breath. He didn't want to break the law, but he didn't want to lose Sonny, either. "Okay."

"Good. Oh, one other thing: if you involve anyone, least of all the police, your son dies. If you don't do exactly what I ask in the time I ask it, your son dies. Are we clear?" Stefano asked.

"Very. I'll get the notebook somehow." Justin promised. "Please don't hurt him."

"Do as I say and I won't. Hmm?" Stefano said. "Get moving, Justin."

Justin hung up and sighed. He rubbed his forehead forming a plan. The notebook is at the police station. Probably in Hope's office. He felt bad for stealing from Hope, but….she'll understand, right?

"Justin." Justin turned around to see his wife with her arms folded and glaring at him. "I warned you. I freaking warned you!"

"Adrienne, not now." Justin said in frustration. He held his hands up and walked away.

"Yes, now! I told you that getting into bed with EJ DiMera of all people would endanger this family!" Adrienne said angrily. "Well, guess what? Sonny is kidnapped and Abby is dead! See all the trouble you started?"

"Why no, I don't." Justin said sarcastically. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get our son back."

"How do you plan to do that? By going all Rambo at the DiMera mansion looking for him?" Adrienne asked.

"I have a plan, and I'm sorry, but I can't explain it to you right now." Justin said and went down the stairs.

"This is our son we are talking about! Your flesh and blood!" Adrienne shrieked and followed Justin downstairs. "You tell me your plan right now!"

"Why? So you can mess it up?" Justin whirled around and glared at his wife. He felt a twinge of guilt as he saw her hurt expression. He sighed and left.

Adrienne stared after her husband in shock. How could he say that to her? She slowly walked to the couch and sat down. What has happened to her family? Last year, they were all so happy and stable. Now because of Sami and the DiMera's, it all turned to crap! She buried her head in her hands and cried.

XXX

Chad strode up to the mansion and pounded on the door. He just came back from the Brady Pub when he heard that Abigail had been murdered. He wanted confirmation. EJ opened the door.

"So, I guess you heard." EJ stated, reading his brother's expression.

Chad couldn't speak for a minute. "So, it's true. Abby's…really…?"

"I am so so sorry, Chad. I never wanted this to happen." EJ said earnestly. "If I could've stopped it, I would have."

Chad's knees buckled. He leaned against a wall and slid down, breathing heavily and shaking his head slowly. "No…" He sniffed and his eyes brimmed with tears. "No…this isn't real. It can't be. She'll never…never laugh….or talk…or cry again or get angry…."

Kristen walked in on the scene. "I'm guessing you still cared about her."

"Of course I do!" Chad snapped at his sister. "She…was the only person who made me truly happy. And now…she's gone. My fingers are tingling, my mouth is dry, my eyes are burning! I can't…how did this happen?"

"She witnessed Sonny's kidnapping." EJ explained. "They shot her so she wouldn't talk."

Chad let that sink in. Abigail is dead because she witnessed Stefano's men kidnapping Sonny. It was all Stefano's fault. He frowned and stood. "You and me- we're done." He turned and left.

"Chad, wait! Kiriakis started this whole mess." Kristen said, following her brother. "If anyone's to blame here, it's him!"

Chad whirled around angrily. "I don't want to hear it! This family has brought me nothing but misery since I found out I'm Stefano's son. So, you know what? Screw you. Screw all of you!"

Kristen started walking after him, but was stopped by EJ. "Let him go. He's made up his mind."

Kristen sighed. "Well…we lost an ally."

"No kidding." EJ sighed. "All right. Father said to head to the island, but not together. I'll meet you there."

"What are you going to tell Sami?" Kristen asked, curious.

"I'll think of something." EJ shrugged. "Now run along. You know how impatient Father can get."

Kristen nodded and headed out. EJ waited until she was gone and pulled out his phone to call Justin.

XXX

Justin pulled into the parking lot of the police station when his phone rang again. "EJ."

"Justin, I am so so so sorry about Abby and Sonny." EJ said sincerely. "I tried to stop it."

"Thank you." Justin said dully. He had half a mind to tell him about Stefano's phone call, but…he didn't want to give EJ away.

"I promise you…on the lives of my children, I will do anything humanly possible to get Sonny back to you and your wife." EJ promised.

"You also promised this wouldn't endanger my family." Justin replied.

EJ sighed. "I know. I'll do everything I can."

"All right. Sounds reasonable." Justin said. "I have to tell you, though: if Sonny doesn't make it through this, I will come after you. We Greeks did not invent revenge, we made it into an art form. Ask my uncle."

"All right. You know…I'm sure the police are doing whatever they can to find Sonny. I strongly advise you to just…let the police do their job." EJ said. "Watch your favorite movies to get your mind off of things. Your favorite is Castaway, isn't it? Or is it Escape From Alcatraz? Anyway, I better go."

"Okay. Good luck." Justin said. He hung up. Justin was confused at EJ's "suggestion". He could have said anything…and he mentioned two movies? Was he trying to give him a hint? What do those two movies have in common? Oh, yeah! They both take place on an island! Is Sonny on an island? He jumped out of his car and practically ran into the police station and towards Hope's office. He knocked on her door.

"Come in." Hope called. Justin entered. "Oh. Justin. How are you holding up?"

Justin exhaled sharply and sat down. "Honestly? I'm barely keeping it together."

"Well, don't worry. We're all working ourselves to the bone. All our resources are dedicated to finding your son." Hope told him.

Justin smiled. "I appreciate that."

Hope nodded. "Adrienne must be a wreck."

"That's putting it mildly." Justin nodded.

"Oh. Well, anyway, our IT department is currently looking through the files that were on Stefano's proxy servers. We made copies, and the real ones are in my desk along with the notebook." Hope smiled triumphantly. "Stefano will fall sooner than we think."

"Sounds great." Justin smiled. "Have the IT people found anything yet?"

"No, actually, I was just about to go down there to find out." Hope replied, standing up.

"Oh. Would you mind if I stayed? I don't feel like going back home yet." Justin said.

"Of course. Take all the time you need." Hope smiled sympathetically.

Justin nodded. "Thank you." He waited until Hope left and sighed. "Sorry, Hope." He turned to her desk.

XXX

Hope headed down to IT where Abe was overseeing the progress. "Hey. Anything so far?"

"Not yet. We're about ninety-five percent through." Abe replied. "We have Diana heading it up."

Diana turned to Hope and smiled. "Any second now, and we'll have all of DiMera's secret files."

"Great!" Hope smiled excitedly. They were so close, she can almost taste it. Her face turned to horror, as the computer screen blurred and a small downloading thing turned up.

"Oh, fuck!" Diana exclaimed. She tapped a few keys and called someone. "Ted! Is your system down?"

"Yeah. What the fuck is going on?!" Ted asked over the phone.

Abe picked up a phone and spoke over the PA system. "Everyone, this is a code red. Save what you can on your computers, then shut it down! Now!"

XXX

Justin snuck out of the station with the notebook hidden in his jacket. He ran to his car and swerved out of the parking lot. He ignored the chills running up and down his spine and drove to the meeting point. Sure enough, a man dressed all in black leaned against a black car. Justin got the notebook out and handed it to him. The man scanned through the notebook to make sure everything's there.

"Mr. DiMera will be contacting you soon." The man said. He waited for Justin to leave. Justin got the hint and nodded.

XXX

Will sighed as he opened his eyes. He found himself to be in a hospital bed. He tried remembering what happened and groaned loudly. Sonny was kidnapped. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. How could he let that happen?

"Will?"

Will turned to see Sami sitting at his bedside, looking concerned. Will swallowed. "Sonny was kidnapped."

Sami took his hand in hers. "I know. I'm sorry. I should've gotten there sooner. Maybe I could have…"

"You'd probably be dead." Will replied.

Sami scoffed. "Oh, EJ would love that."

"Good point." Will nodded.

Sami gave a long sigh. "Will, um…there's something else." Will looked at his mother concerned. "Abby and Cameron witnessed Sonny's kidnapping. They shot them."

Will paled. "Is Abby okay?"

Sami shook her head sadly. "She died, Will."

Will's stomach dropped. "Oh my God…" His eyes stung and a lump rose in his throat. He just saw Abigail the day before. She was so happy and joyful…

Sami stood and hugged Will. "I'm sorry."

Will exhaled. "I was knocked out before I could do anything."

Sami nodded. "Just like that? You were walking and then you just…fell?"

"Pretty much."

Roman knocked on the door and walked in. "Hey."

"Daddy." Sami greeted. She sighed. "I just told Will that Abby and Cameron witnessed Sonny's kidnapping and got shot to death."

Roman nodded. "How are you, Will?"

"Physically? Fine." Will sat at the edge of the bed.

"Are you all right to answer some questions?" Roman asked.

Will swallowed and nodded. "Whatever it takes."

"Okay. First, let's start at the beginning." Roman took out a pad and pen. "Did you know from the beginning that Justin was working with EJ?"

"No." Will shook his head. "I found out two days ago. Sonny said his uncle Victor told him about it."

"Okay. Then what?"

"I told him to get out of this country." Will shrugged. "We were about to book a flight for him to Athens, but we needed priority clearance, so we called his uncle Victor. He told us to just go to the Kiriakis mansion. We started walking there, but, Chad called him and told him that they were going to kidnap him tonight- well, last night. They hung up….we were close to my dad's house, so I suggested we head there. We started to run, but then…I got knocked out."

Roman jotted notes down on his pad, then looked up. "What I- and most likely, the entire police force- am wondering is…why did they shoot you with a tranq gun, but they shot bullets at Cameron and Abigail?"

"EJ really cares about Will, Dad." Sami spoke up. "Maybe EJ just told Sonny's kidnappers not to hurt Will."

"Okay…if he does care, why didn't he stop the kidnapping altogether?" Roman asked.

"Dad, you already know EJ is working to take Stefano down. Maybe he doesn't want the old man to get suspicious." Sami insisted.

Roman sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He refused to believe EJ had a decent bone in his body. But if his daughter and grandson trust him, there's nothing he can do about it. "Okay. I'll put this in my report. In the meantime, please do not take any action on Sonny's kidnapping." He looked at Will. "Remember what happened last time you went after someone who was kidnapped."

Will sighed quietly. Sonny could be anywhere cold, dark, lonely… he wanted to search high and low for his boyfriend. But, his grandfather had a point. He nodded. "Okay."

"Good. I'll be in touch with more news." Roman smiled and left.

XXX

Abby and Cameron were lead by Rafe in a small safe house. It was two levels with a small living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, broom closet, and dining room on the first level. On the second level were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a closet. Sheets were thrown over furniture to keep from dust.

"Wow. This is…quaint." Abby commented, looking around.

"Someone already brought clothes and food for you." Rafe said. "There are movies, games, and books to keep you entertained. Remember: no contact with anyone except for those who know of this plan, all right?"

Abby and Cameron nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Rafe left.

Abby sighed. "I really hope this will all be over soon." She sat on the couch.

"Me, too." Cameron nodded. "Well, might as well make this place livable."

XXX

Victor strolled to Hope's office and opened the door. "Hope, you have a minute?"

Hope, who was sitting at her desk with her head in her hands looked up. "Sure. Have a seat."

Victor sat on the chair across from her desk. "I'm sorry for your loss. Are you any closer to finding Sonny?"

"Well, we were getting close to finding out what's on the proxies." Hope sighed.

"What happened?"

"Somehow we accidentally triggered a virus which damaged all our servers." Hope replied folding her arms.

Victor sighed and shook his head. "That sneaky bastard."

Hope nodded. "But, on the plus side, we still have the noteboo-" Hope's eyes widened as she reached for the notebook and was met with the polished wood of her desk. "Oh, don't tell me…!" She quickly searched through her desk. The notebook wasn't there or anywhere else in her office. She gasped. "Justin!"

"Justin?" Victor asked.

"He was in my office earlier. Call him." Hope explained as she grabbed her own phone. "This is Detective Brady. I need an APB out on Justin Kiriakis, pronto! He stole critical evidence."

Victor pulled out his phone to call Justin. "Justin. It's Victor. We need to meet."

"Can this wait? I'm in the middle of something." Justin said, sounding slightly flustered.

"What could be more important?" Victor asked.

"Work." Justin said simply.

"Nice try, Justin. They give the week off after a family member's death." Victor replied. "Meet me at the house in twenty minutes."

Justin sighed on the other line. "Fine."

"Good." Victor hung up and turned to his daughter-in-law. "He'll be at the house."

"Great. Let's go." Hope stood up.

"Hope, wait a second. Let's think about this."

Hope stared at Victor in shock. "What?"

"Why would Justin steal evidence that could help us bring down Stefano and find his son?" Victor asked.

Hope huffed and rubbed her forehead. "I don't know…why would he?"

"Stefano got to him." Victor guessed. "He's probably using Sonny as leverage against Justin."

"How do you know that?" Hope asked.

"Because that's what I'd do." Victor replied.

"Okay, I'll just have to arrest him, then." Hope decided.

"Hope, wait. That's not the right play."

"Excuse me? Are you a detective?" Hope snapped.

Victor stared at her reproachfully. "No. But I do know how Stefano operates and how he thinks."

Hope considered that. Victor would be a big help. She nodded and sat. "Okay…you're in. But…there's something else you should know."

"What's that?"

"Abby and Cameron are alive." Hope revealed. "We faked their deaths to protect them from the DiMeras and to identify the kidnappers."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Who else knows about this?"

"Abe, Kayla, Jennifer, Maxine, Daniel, JJ, Rafe, and Roman." Hope replied.

Victor stroked his mustache for a minute. "Do you know if Abby is still seeing Chad?"

"No, but they are friends." Hope replied. "Why?"

"I wonder… if Chad still has feelings for Abby… we can turn him against his family, and he can help us." Victor said.

Hope inhaled slowly and nodded. "And to do that, we'd use Abby?"

"Yes. Of course, we'd make sure nothing happens to her." Victor shrugged.

"Okay, we'll talk to the others and I'll find out Chad's whereabouts." Hope grabbed her phone. "What about Justin?"

"We'll string him along for a bit, then we'll catch him in the act." Victor replied.

"All right. I will cancel that APB, then." Hope replied.

"Good."

XXX

Chad sat on his couch staring at a picture of him and Abby. He stroked her half of the picture lovingly and sniffed. He let a few tears escape. How could he let this happen? He should have kept a better eye on Sonny. None of this would have happened. He heard a knock on the door, wiped his eyes, and went to answer it.

"Good. You're here." Will stepped inside with his arms folded. "We need to talk."


End file.
